If you’ve exhausted the usual Arizona getaway ideas, try one of these ideas. You can go hike a crater, Scotch tasting, or sample market food.
Are you looking for unique ways to explore Arizona? We’ve devised some ideas for unique Arizona getaways, ranging from an outdoor hike or ride to a laid-back evening at an Arizona resort.
Hike and Picnic at Wupatki National Monument
If you head north of Phoenix to the 35-mile Sunset Crater-Wupatki Loop Road, you can explore both Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and the pueblo remains at Wupatki (pronounced wuh-POT-kee) National Monument.
Explore Sunset Crater
The first part of the loop takes you past Sunset Crater and the hardened lava flow. The moonscape is rugged and unexpected, like something out of a science fiction movie. If you pull out at the Lenox Crater Trail or the Lava Flow Trail, you can get a great look at Sunset Crater.
Look out over Sunset Crater during your drive. Photo by Susan Lanier-Graham
Continue to Wupatki Pueblo
However, for the ideal Arizona getaway, the treasure is to continue on Loop Road for another 15 miles to Wupatki Pueblo. I’ve always been amazed at how the landscape is a brilliant display of color, and the construction of the pueblo gives me a look back at a unique culture.
Wupatki National Monument. Photo by Susan Lanier-Graham
After the visitor center, continue to the Doney Mountain Picnic Area. After dinner and a glass of wine, take a half-mile hike to the top of Doney Mountain, another volcanic cone. Visit Lomaki Pueblo, down the Loop Road toward Highway 89, where there is more of an isolated picnic area with more pueblo ruins to explore. It’s a great spot to watch the sun getting low and casting shadows across the red rocks, but the trail does close at sunset.
Scotch Tasting at Westin Kierland
Did you know that one of your options for your Arizona getaways is to go Scotch tasting? It remains one of my favorite experiences. The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in North Scottsdale has a unique Scotch Library that celebrates the whisky regions of Scotland as a nod to the contributions of early Scottish immigrants to Arizona. The Scotch Library has a collection of more than 200 different labels, giving both Scotch aficionados and newcomers a chance to sample Scotch.
You’ll have plenty to choose from for your Scotch tasting. Photo courtesy of Westin Kierland
The Scotch Library features 175 single malts, 30 blends, and some rare offerings from limited-run distilleries and even a distillery no longer producing whisky. Three super-limited vintage single malts are also available for tasting.
Best of all, the Scotch Library Ambassadors—experts in Scottish whiskies—are available to answer your questions. The Scotch Library is open from 5 pm to 9 pm nightly and serves two-ounce tastings.
The Westin Kierland Scotch Ambassadors add to the fun of an evening of tasting Scotch. Photo courtesy Westin Kierland
There is also a Friday “Evening of Scotches” at 6 PM, priced at $50.00 per person, including three selections.
Music Night at the MIM
The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in North Phoenix is an interactive musical experience featuring more than 6,500 instruments from 200 countries around the world. A live performance is presented almost every evening in the 300-seat theater.
Enjoy a unique performance at the MIM Music Theater. Photo courtesy MIM
After exploring the museum, it’s off to the concert for the evening. Entertainers in the past have ranged from singer/songwriter Jackie Greene and the folksy tones of Sarah Jarosz to the jazzy beats of Big Sam’s Funky Nation or the Dirty Dozen Brass Band to the global sounds of Mariachi Flor de Toloache.
The Music Instrument Museum at dusk. Photo courtesy MIM
Let Prescott Chefs Serve You Farm-to-Table Cuisine
Prescott, just two hours north of Phoenix, is known for its non-profit farmer’s market. Most vendors are area farmers and growers. The market is held on Saturdays from 7:30 AM to noon in season and makes for a great Saturday morning outing. It’s a fun place with live music, coffee, and breakfast foods. You’ll always come back with plenty of ingredients for your lunch or dinner to spark your foodie creativity.
Freshly picked produce abounds at the Prescott Farmers Market. Photo Elizabeth R Rose
Farm Fresh Dinner
Annually, in September, local chefs gather to take ingredients from the market to put together a festive but casual outdoor fund-raiser for the Prescott Farmer’s Market. The event begins with passed hors d’oeuvres, wine, and beer from 4 to 5:30 p.m., followed by a seated four-course meal. Chefs plate the food onsite, allowing guests to observe them in action.
Enjoy watching the chefs prepare your four-course dinner at the Prescott Farmers Market dinner. Photo courtesy PFM
The cost per person is $150. Tickets can only be purchased in person at the Prescott Farmers Market.
Horseback Riding and Weekend Getaway at Hacienda Del Sol
Hacienda Del Sol opened in the desert wilderness at the foot of Tucson’s Santa Catalina Foothills as a girls’ school in 1929. It reopened in 1948 as a guest ranch. While once popular with Hollywood celebrities, it fell into disrepair. A group of local Tucson residents bought it in 1995 and nursed it back to its former grandeur. Today, the beautiful resort embraces its Southwest history.
Hacienda Del Sol Fountain. Photo by Susan Lanier-Graham
Book one of the 32 rooms overlooking the Santa Catalina Mountains for a romantic weekend escape. The grounds – a botanical garden that brings the Sonoran Desert to your doorstep – are filled with custom artwork. Walk two minutes from the lobby to the stables for a sunset horseback ride for two. You’ll wind along the dry creek bed, past massive saguaro, and climb to a high plateau to watch the sunset. After your ride, soak in the infinity pool overlooking the Santa Catalina Mountains.
Horseback riding in Arizona is a must-do! Photo by Elizabeth R Rose
The Grill serves great meals with creative dishes from local growers and ingredients from the organic gardens, under Dr. Andrew Weil’s careful direction.
Get Creative for Your Arizona Getaway
Arizona’s vast and varied lands and communities offer unique opportunities for a weekend getaway or evening experience. Watch the resort and attraction listings for unique events. Some are seasonal like the holiday events at the Desert Botanical Garden, while others (like the Scotch tasting) are year-round. You can escape the heat and go to the cool pine woods, spend an elegant evening at a Valley resort, or take a picnic dinner to a scenic location and watch the sunset.
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson. Photo by Susan Lanier-Graham
Related Articles for an Arizona Getaway:
- 10 Things to Do in Prescott, AZ
- Arizona’s Christmas City: Celebrating the Season in Prescott
- Petrified Forest and Painted Desert: Arizona Road Trip
- Phoenix Zoo: A World of Animals and Attractions
- Visiting Quirky Quartzsite, AZ
- Fall Colors in the Southwest
- Staying in a State Park Cabin on Lake Havasu
- Verde Valley Road Trip: Small Towns, Nature and Arizona Wine
- Top Places to Visit on the Grand Canyon’s South Rim
- 11 Amazing Outdoor Activities in Phoenix
- Discovering the Mystery of Tucson’s Westward Look Resort
Create Your Own Unique Arizona Getaway
Our unique Arizona getaway ideas are just the beginning of helping you plan fun days and evenings in the Grand Canyon State. For more ideas for things to do and see in Arizona, see what our area experts have come up with.
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